DELTA, Utah — A Utah family is mourning the loss of a 10-year-old boy who died after falling through the ice in Delta.
Brigg Leavitt was at the Gunnison Bend Reservoir on Monday when he and his father fell through the ice and into the water. After being pulled out of the reservoir, CPR was performed on Brigg before he was life-flighted to Primary Children's Hospital for treatment, the Millard County Sheriff's Office said.
In a post to a GoFundMe account set up for Brigg, his uncle said the boy "did not survive the night" after undergoing several procedures, including efforts to oxygenate his blood.
The uncle, Stephen Crookston, said Brigg's kidneys, heart valve and eyes were able to be donated.
"Brigg was described as a smart and funny child who loved drawing trucks, had a quiet giggle when he thought of something funny, and was generous beyond belief," wrote Crookston.
According to the page, on the last day of school before the winter break, "Brigg spent all of the money he had brought for a class auction buying a tree for a little boy and toys for all of his classmates, keeping only a wooden truck for himself."
“He was just better than this world,” said Lewis Leavitt, Brigg’s father. “He was that good.”
Leavitt described Brigg as a classic 10-year-old kid: happy, adventurous, with a love for football, wrestling and dirtbiking.
“He would build his own jumps to jump his dirtbike,” he said.
He and his sister, Markell, were inseparable.
“They were so close of friends. Their birthday is one day apart. Two years and one day exactly,” said Leavitt. “They did everything together. And she is heartbroken.”
Leavitt said most of all, Brigg will be remember for his generosity and selflessness. On the last day of school, he spent all of his class money to buy gifts for other students.
“He bought all these toys for everybody else and just bought this little wooden truck that he wanted. That’s the only thing he kept. Just this little wooden truck,” he said.
Leavitt said before the accident, Brigg told his dad he wanted him to call him “young man” instead of “boy.”
“That’s all he wanted to be. Just grow up and be bigger and taller than his sister and taller than his mom,” he said.
His actions and the way he treated others was what made him big.
“Through that,” said Leavitt. “He was a giant.”
The GoFundMe page was set up to help the family pay medical and funeral expenses which are estimated to be around $40,000.
